Week 4: 1/22-1/28

Sunday: Canoeing

This has been my favorite day so far being in Hawaii. It was a little rainy today, but that doesn’t stop anyone from having a good time and going outside. It was the first time that I got to go on the water and it was incredible. The University of Hawaii at Hilo has a canoe club that students and alumni can participate in. As part of the Outdoor Edventure club we took a trip down to Hilo Bay to experience and try out the canoes. We went out in shifts and I was in the second group so I got to help rig one of the canoes that had been out of commission for a while. When it was my turn to go out on the canoes I rode in the third seat and was part of the power house. This is where the ones with muscle go, or at least that is what I was told. We spent most of the morning and afternoon paddling around the bay front. While in the bay we learned different techniques to paddle faster, deeper, and for longer distances. After doing the drills we paddled to the barrier wall and back. Then we had two races in the river that connects to the bay. My boat came in third the first time but that is because I fell out of my seat, what can I say I used all my muscle and pushed myself to the floor. The second time, we came in second place. The people in the canoe club are amazing and super sweet. They are one big family and most of them have been paddling for 5-6 years and some more then 20. I decided that I want to be part the club, and I am super excited to go back tomorrow night. We meet four times a week, Sundays from 10 am to 12 pm and then Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday’s from 5 pm to sunset. I hope that this will be a great way for me to work out and have fun at the same time. After paddling, my friends and I went back to campus and did homework for the rest of the afternoon and took a walk before dinner.

Monday: Still Raining, first day of bible study, canoe club and first day in the lab

Today after my classes, I started working in the lab. It was the perfect day to start in the lab because it has been raining nonstop since I got home from canoeing yesterday. I missed being in the lab and getting to learn about different techniques and processes to run samples. In the lab at UHH, I will be running and doing alkalinity tests on different ground water samples from bays all over the island and seeing what the pH and alkalinity of the water is. I get to use an automated titrator which is exciting because I don’t get to use one of those often. Today I was learning how to use the equipment, but next week I am hoping to get to start doing some practice samples. Along with it was also the first day of canoe practice. Unlike yesterday where there were 44 people canoeing, we only had 18 people so we got to be on the water longer and we got to ride the waves. RIDING THE WAVES IS SOOO MUCH FUN. Going out when it rains is the best because there are bigger waves and it isn’t as hot. After canoeing, my friends and I grabbed dinner, went to bible study and enjoyed our time talking to each other and getting to know each other.

Tuesday: Mixed Plate Event and still more rain

After a day full of classes and a lot of rain, I participate in an NSE event which was the Mixed Plate Event. This event was designed for international and national exchange students to introduce us to some of the culture of Hawaii. At the event we split up into three groups and did a couple of activities. One of the first activities I did was make a Hilo braided lei headband to match my bracelet I made the first week I was here. I love making the Lei’s, I think it is a lot of fun. After that my group and I went and played a language game where we learned how to speak Hawaiian and to introduce ourselves. The last activity we did was learn how to hula. They taught us the basics and then taught us the last part of a dance. As an entire group we preformed our dance for the NSE and ISE coordinators. It was a ton of fun. After that we got to eat Hawaiian food. We had teriyaki chicken, rice, salad, purple sweet potato salad, curry, and chocolate cupcakes. It was a great way for me to meet and get to mingle with other NSE students.

Wednesday: Classes

Again, for the second Wednesday I didn’t do much. I took a nap, walked around campus, ate lunch with some friends, and did some homework. Around 4:30 in the afternoon, I went with Emma and Alexa to Canoe Club. We paddled around 4 miles and then rode the waves in as though we were on a surf board. While were out there, the rain started pouring and our canoe filled with water.

Thursday: SUNLIGHT/ Instagram take over!

It finally stopped raining! For the past 5 days it has been pouring like crazy outside. I was starting to go insane from all the rain. I had been told that this isn’t even the worst of it. January is usually a dry month. I was told to wait until February and then the rain would come. I hope it doesn’t. I love the weather I am having right now. Along with the rain stopping, I also got to do the Instagram take over for USC. It was so much fun. I got to spend the day showing the people who look at my framinghawaii Instagram account around UHH as well as my adventure of the day. Stephanie, Alexa and I decided to go to Kapoho tide pools in Puna to show some of the adventures we like to go on. It was really fun getting to snorkel. I found Gill, which was pretty cool because I thought he was going to be stuck in that bag forever. This was great because it was the first time that I used my camera underwater and got some cool pictures. After snorkeling we went back to campus and got dinner together and met up with some of our friends.

Friday: Carlsmith Beach, volleyball

It was just a normal day today. I spent the day going to class and doing homework but afterwards, the leader of BCM, Anita, texted me and asked if my friends and I wanted to go to Carlsmith beach to go swimming. I was super excited that she called because I love hanging out with the students from BCM and I love going to the beach so it was a win win. We swam with the sea turtles again, which is so cool, and then we snorkeled a little bit. While I was there I met a family from North Carolina and had the chance to talk to them. I found out they were from Chapel Hill which was neat because I have family who lives there. When we were done swimming, Anita took us to K’s dinner to get an ice cream treat. What is really neat about this place is that they only have two flavors a day and they are never the same. They are some type of fruit and then vanilla soft serve. The two choices when we went were pineapple and lime. I got pineapple which was soooooo good. It tasted like a pineapple dole whip from Disney world. When we were done with the ice cream, we went back to campus and we ate dinner together.

Saturday: Submarine on Kona side

Today’s adventure was so much fun. We woke up nice and early and left campus around 8 am and drove to Kona, which is a small town on the opposite side of the island. It takes about an hour and a half to get there which isn’t really long at all. When we arrived in Kona we had about 3 hours until we needed to head over to the submarine so my friends and I walked around and went shopping. I bought a lot of postcards. I have been thinking that I want to make a mural of postcards when I get back from my trip in my room. Just to see all the places I have been and the different things I have done. After we shopped we went to lunch at Fish Hook Restaurant and Bar. We all got the House special burger that had cheddar cheese, chipotle aoli, mixed greens, bacon and tomatoes on it. It was such a good burger. When we finished eating we walked over and met the other students in our group and got on the boat to go out to the submarine. The submarine was so cool! We sat in two rows on the submarine and as soon as I took my seat a Pacific Bottlenose dolphin swam by my window. He was so big. Then when we sunk further into the ocean we could see the bottom and all the fish swimming around the corals. It was neat seeing the light change as you go down. When we were at the top you could see every color but as you moved down you saw when the wrist bands changed from red to blue because of the red-light wave not being able to travel that far down. While we were at the bottom of the ocean we saw an eel and two ship wrecks. One was a World War II ship and another was a sail boat that sunk in a storm. After seeing those, the crew did a test drill and touched the bottom of the ocean. We got to 110 feet deep on the submarine!!! Once we left the bottom, we shot straight up to the surface. It was really neat to go from dark blue Ocean to light blue and seeing all of the bubbles around us. After the submarine we jumped off the dock and swam around some and then took the hour and a half drive back to Hilo. We made it just in time to change and get dinner. Then after dinner a group of us walked over to SAC’s (Which is a club on campus) and watched Hacksaw Ridge which is such an amazing movie. I highly highly highly recommend seeing it. It is sad but uplifting at the same time. When the movie was over I walked back to my room to get ready for bed. I have a big day tomorrow! Whale watching here I come!

#Canoe #MixedPlateEvent #CarlsmithBeach #Submarine